Morewood Avenue and Carnegie Mellon University

22. CMU's Mudge Hall

On the corner of Fifth and Morewood Avenues, is a private dwelling, now turned into Carnegie Mellon University's Mudge Hall. As on so many other Pittsburgh campuses, a beautiful mansion was converted into useful space for academic pursuits or dormitory space. Look carefully at the lovely iron filigree work above the doorway. Many students who live in a converted mansion and have no knowledge of the history of the family whose dwelling they now occupy. Continue walking along Morewood, and you will pass by a row of Fraternity houses and the Morewood Gardens dormitory complex. The fraternities compete each year to design a one-person "buggy" for a race in Schenley Park. That race weekend and Spring Carnival Weekend are two major events on the CMU campus.

When you reach Forbes Avenue you are now facing the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Cross Forbes Avenue…turn right and begin to walk back toward Oakland. On your left is Hamburg Hall.

23. CMU's Hamburg Hall

Hamburg Hall (formerly the U.S. Bureau of Mines), is another of the many buildings designed by Henry Hornbostel for Carnegie's Technical School (1903 1922). This building has a vaulted corridor that might remind you of the City County Building also designed by Hornbostel. At the end of Hamburg Hall, turn left into a driveway that will allow passage along the western edge of the campus to Hammerschlag Hall.

24. Hammerschlag Hall (1913)

When Hornbostel won a national design competition to create the new campus for Mr. Carnegie he took on a very influential position and even became the new school's first professor of architecture. Hammerschlag Hall was positioned to ride the crest of Junction Hollow and to be a towering, commanding focal point for the college campus.

As you walk up and down the steps of the new Roberts Hall addition to Hammerschlag, try to determine if you can locate the ship's bow (or prow) ornament from the armored cruiser Pennsylvania (1905). The ship's bow was removed…and then re-installed (higher up). It may be easier to view it from across the ravine. The "temple" or tower on top of Hammerschlag actually surrounds a "smoking" chimney, so the comparison to a temple for the god of fire, Vulcan, seems appropriate.

As you leave the CMU campus, turn right on Frew Street and follow it down to Schenley Drive.

Back to Schenley Drive

25. Statue of Edward M. Bigelow

You are now approaching the statue of Edward M. Bigelow (on the left; in the middle of Schenley Drive). The sculptor of the statue is Moretti, 1895. It is fitting that we end with his statue because as Director of the Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, in the late 1880's, his vision and the benefactors (Schenley, Carnegie, Frick) collectively made the grandeur and beauty of a "Civic Center" for Pittsburgh possible. Besides various parks for the city, Bigelow planned Grant Boulevard (now Bigelow Boulevard) to link Oakland with downtown Pittsburgh.

Continue walking up Schenley Drive to the parking areas near Botany Hall or Phipp's Conservatory. Take a moment to thank Edward Bigelow before you head back to your car!

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